Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1887-06-25
DR.. Talmage's First Cigar.


T. De Witt Talmage, in Brooklyn Magazine.
The time had come in my boyhood
which / thought demanded of me a
capacity 70 smoke. The old people
of the household could abide neither
the Ugh nor smell of the Virginia
weed. When ministers came there,
not by positive injunction, but by a
certain instinct as to what would be
the safest, they whitfield their pipe on
the back steps. If the house could
not stand sanctifed smoke, it may be
imagined how little chance there was
for adolescent cigar-pufing.
BY some rare good fortune which
put in my hands three cents, l found
access to a tobacco store. AS the lid
of the long, narrow, fragrant box
opened, and for the first time / owned
a cigar, my feelings of e%lation, manli-
ness, superiority, and anticipations
can scarcely be imagined, save by
those who have had the same sensa-
ton. When I put the cigar to my
lips, and stuck the lucifer-match to
the end of the weed, and commenced
to pull with an energy that brought
every facial muscle to its utmost ten
sion, my satisfaction with this world
was so great my temptation was never
to want to leave it.
The cigar did not burn well. tire
quired an amount of suction that tax
ed my determination to the utmost.
You see my worldly means limited
me to a quality costing only three
cents. But I had been taught that
nothing great was accomplished with
out effort, and SO 1 pulled away. In
deed, 1 had heard my older brothers
in their Latin lessons say, onania Oin-
cit labor; which translated means, il
you want to make anything 60, you
must scratch for it.
With these sentiments, l passed
down the village street, and out to-
ward my country home. Ny head
did not feel exactly right, and the
street began to rock. from side to side
so it became rather uncertain to me
which side of the street l was on. So
L crossed over, but found myself on
the same side l was on before l cross
ed over. Indeed, 1 imagined / was
on both sides at the same time, and
that several fast teams were driving
between. l met another boy, who
asked me why 1 looked so pale, and
L told him that / did not look pale,
but that he was pale himself. After
some further walking, l sat down
under the bridge near my house and
began to reflect on the prospect of an
early decease, and the uncertainty Of
all earthly expectations. / had de-
termined to smoke the cigar all up
and thus get the worth of my money
but was finally obliged to throw three
fourths oft away. knew, however
exactly where I threw it, in case ]
should feel better the next day.
Getting home, the old people were
frightened and demanded of me ar
explanation as to my absence and the
rather whitish color of my complex
ion. Not feeling that / was called t.
go into particulars, and not wishing
to increase my parents apprehension
that / was going to turn out badly,
summed up the case with the state
ment that / felt miserable at the pi
Of the stomach. Mustard plaster
were Immediately administered, ant
| received careful watching for SOM
hours. Finally, 1 fell asleep, ant
forgot my disappointment and humil
iation in being obligedto throw ava,
t%hree-fourths of my first cigar.